Method and apparatus for making photographic prints



, My 26, 1931. 1 J. RISDON 1,807,047

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS Filed Sept. 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l AV f ORNEYS.

May 26, 1931. 1J. msm-N 1,807,047

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS Filed Sept. 20, 192'?, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .l

` INVENTORQ Patented May 26, 1931 UN'ITED sTATEsPATENT OFFICE .TOEN .1. RISDON.' or BINOHAMTON, Nnwyonx, AssIGNoR, BY MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To AGFA ANsco CORPORATION, OF mNeHAMTON, NEW vom; A CORPORATION OF NEW Yom;

METHOD AND APPARATOS Fon MAKING PiroToGnArHIc rRINTs -I Application filed September 20, 1927. Serial No. 220,768.

My invention relates generally to the art of making photographic positive prints from negativeimages and has particular reference to the light control for such printing.

M invention is particularly useful in connection with thatt pe of printing apparatus wherein a strip o positive'images may be printed from va strip of negative film although myA invention is not limited to-such particular apparatus as it is clearly adaptable tives are rinted frominegatives.

One o the principal objects of my inven- -tion is to provide a printing apparatus wherein a single source of illumination Vis used, the same actin during exposure as the printing light and etween exposures as the safe light, this source being a White light, continuously illuminated and of constant intensity,

Another important object of'my invention lies in the means and method of utilizing the reflected rays of the light source as the print-v ing light.

till another highly important obj ect of my invention includes the provision of a method and means for controlling the reiected print- Iing light whereby to compensate for negatives of various degrees of density or con trast. A

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel form of exposure control.

Many other detailed objects and advan- Atages in construction and operation will be apparent as the description proceeds,reference now being had to the figures "of the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts.

In .the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional side view of a printer embodyin my invention, certain n parts being omitte for clearness Figure 2 is adetailed cross sectional view illustrating certain elements of my invention. Figure 3 is a detailed bottom plan view taken yon the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

. Figure'll is a detailed sectional viewtaken on the line 4 4 of Figure 3. p

' Figure 5is a detailed plan view of the light control device.

i Figure 6 is a detailed plan view of the as- .sembly'of such light control device.

sloping top wall 3. Projecting upwardly from the back 3 is a bracket 4 on the upper end of which maybe suitably mounted a roll of negative film 5 bearing developed negative images and a roll of sensitized positive material 6 upon which is to be printed the negative images from the film 5./

Suitably mounted on the sloping top wall 3 of the casing, as by tongue and groove connection, (not shown) is the slide member 7 adapted to be reciprocated on the top 3 between the upper stop member 8 and the lower stop member 9. The lower stop member 9 is, as shown clearly in Figure 2, movable downwardly into the cup 10 secured to the underside of top 3 against the tension of coil spring 11 which normally urges the stop 9,upwardly into the path of the adjusting screw 12 carried bythe slide 7. The pur ose of this arrangement is that the slideYY may be completely removed from its guideway on the top 3 by depressing the stop 9 so as to permit the slide 7 to pass clear thereover and Ofi the end of the casing. i Sli ht adjustment of the limit of movement of t e slide 7 between the stops 8 and 9 may be had by turning the adjusting screw 12 out or in. This adjustment is, of course, made in order that the movement of the slide between the stops willbe just suiicient to Vproperl shift the films 5 and 6 in order to bring t e next negative image'and the next sensitized section ofthe as shown clearly in Figure 2. Hinged to the slide 7 as at 13 is a claw 14-provided with teeth 15 for engagement with the perforations of the film strips and normally forced into such engagement by the weight 1 6 secured to the top vof the claw 14. As shown, the front edges of the teeth 15 are straight and therefore upon downward movement of the slide 7 such teeth will move the film strips together,whereas the rear edges of the teeth are bevelled so that upon return movement of theslide 7 the teeth will ride over the film to the upper end of the stroke of the slide` whereupon the teeth will drop into the next set of perforations ready for the next shifting of the film. l

The top 3 is provided with a printing opening 16a over whichis secured a transp' parent window 17 of glass or other suitable mally springs away from the slide. Mounted centrally of the shifter 19 as by the bracket 21 and pintle 22 is a presser pad 23 adapted when the shifter 19 is pressed downwardly by the handle 20 to engage with and securely hold the film strips in cont-act with each other and against the transparency 17 over the exposure opening 16a.

Mounted upon the top 3 at a point adjacent to slide 7 but slightly to one side thereof is a bearing 24 through. which is mounted a plunger 25, its upper end lying dlrectly beneath the pad 26 carried by the lower side of the handle 20, when the slide is shifted upwardly to the limit of its movement. Secured to the lower end of the plunger 25, as at 27, is one end of a leverV 28 pivoted at 29 to a bracket 30 projecting from the underside of the top 3. The opposite end of this lever 28 is secured as at 31 to one end of a crank 32, the opposite end of which is secured as at 33 to an arm 34 rigid with a shutter flap 35, which flap is provided with a window 36 preferably of red glass or Celluloid adapted to underly the exposure opening 16a as clearly shown in Figure 2. The end ofthe shutter flap 35 adjacent to the lug or arm 34 is hinged as at 37 to the frame. 38, suitably secured to the underside of the top 3. v A coil j spring 39 (see Figure 4) normally urges and holds the shutter flap 35 in its upper positionas shown in Figure 2 in which position it covers the exposure 'opening 16a.

From the foregoing it will be clear that when the slide 7 is shifted upwardly to the limit of its movement and the handle 20 of the shifter 19 depressed, not only will the presser pad 23 engage with and hold the film strips in contact with the window 17 of the exposure opening, but the pad"26 will depress ter flap, causing said flap to rock downwardly on its pivot as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, thereby uncovering the exposure opening 16a. l

As shown clearly in Figure 1, thecasing is divided into two compartments 40 vand 41 by means of the partition .42 suitably secured to the top, bottom and side walls of the casing as at 43. The lower angular portion of the partition 42 is provided with an openir g 44.

Mounted upon a bracket 45 on the inner surface of the wall 2 of the casingis a lamp socket 46 in which is a lamp 47, current to which issupplied in any suitable manner as at 48. The lamp 47 is preferably a whitelight and the ,rays therefrom pass through the opening 44 in the partition 42 to strike a reflecting surface Within the compartment 41 from whence they are directed upwardly through the exposure opening 16a in the ton 3.

As has been stated before, the window 36 ofthe shutter flap being preferably red glass .or elluloid, it will be clear that with the shutter normally closed as shown in full lines in 'Figure 2, the reflected white light from the lamp 47 will not fog the film 6 overlying the exposure opening. In other words this shutcer Hap provides a safe light through which the images on the negative film are visible for framing, etc. Of course, when the shutter flap is rocked on its pivot away from the exposure opening the reflected white light from the lamp 47 acts as the printing light through the negative film onto the positive. `f

One of the most important features of my invention resides in the reflecting device for the light rays from the lamp 47 Y Located lon the bottom of the casing within the compartment 41 are. lugs 49, supporting spaced plates 50 and 51 between which is rotatably mounted on the pintle 52, a disk 53. These members are properly inclined so as to direct the reflected rays from the lamp 47 reaching the disk 53 through the opening 44, upwardly at the proper angle to pass such reflected rays directly throu h the exposure opening 16a. The upper plete 51 is provided with a Window or opening 54 into which the rays from lamp 47 pass and out of which the reflected rays from the disk 53 project upwardly.

The rotatable disk 53 has mounted 0n its top a plurality of different reflecting surfaces. These surfaces are so placed that upon rotation of thedisk 53 any desired rgflecting surface may be brought beneath the window 54 to'rcceive the light from the lamp 47. As illustrated, I have shown in Figure 4 the four reflecting surfaces-55 black, 56

white, 57 yellow and 58 a mirror. It will be understood, of cou'rse ,that these reflecting surfaces may be varied and increased in number or changed in characteras desired. One side wall of the casing adjacent to the reflecting device is provided with a slot 59 through which one edge of the disk 53 projects slightly. The edge of the disk '53 may be knurled to facilitate rotation thereof, if desired. Also,l the edge of the disk may be provided with means for indicating to the operator which reflecting surface is in proper position behind the Window 54. Such means may take the form of notches 60, one notch for white, 2 notches for black and so on.

The advantages of this arrangement of varying the reflecting printing light are obvious as the operator may, before making his print, determine from the density of his negative or strip of negatives what quality of printing light should be used to produce the desired printing result on the positive. If for instance, his negative is dense due perhaps to over exposure, he may turn the disk to bring the mirror reflecting surface into position for receiving and reflecting the light in order to give a brighter printing light for such negative. On the other hand, if/the negative is Weak and flat, perhaps the black reflecting surface would supply the best quality of light for printing. ln other words, this means and method gives a printing light control in addition to the time element, but which does not require a change of light intensity, as by using different lamps or by regulating the intensity of a single lamp. Higher quality prints are thus made possible with great ease and dispatch.

'The operation of my invention is as follows: If it is desired to print a strip of positive images from a similar strip of negative images the negative film 5 is threaded through the slide member 7 over the exposure opening and the positive strip is threaded directly thereover, the shifting claw 14 engaging both strips. The operator having determined the proper reflecting surface. to be used generally for the negative strip, rotates the disk 53 to bring such surface under the opening 54 whereby to receive the rays from the lamp 47, When the film strips are properly framed with respect to the'exposure opening 16a, the

slide 7 is moved to its uppermost position, shown in Figure 2, iwhereupon the handle 20 is pressed downwardly, bringing presser pad 23 into engagement with the, film strips to hold them tightly in contact and against the trans-- parency over the exposure opening, and

.simultaneously depressing the plunger 25 which operates instantaneously to'throw the shutter flap to the position shown in Vdotted lines in Figure 2, thus permitting the reflected light rays to pass through the exposure opening and through the negative film to the positive. When the proper length of exposure has been made, pressure on the handle 2O isvr relieved,.whereupon the coil spring 39 immediatel returns the shutter flap to its normal posltion and the printing operation is completed. The slide 7 is then pulled downwardly, the teeth l5 of the claw 14 shifting the film strips to bring the next negative image and the next unexposed area of the positive strip over the exposure aperture for the next printing.

Although I have described and illustrated my controlled reflected printing light principally in connection with a printing apparatus for printing the images from a strip o f negative film to a strip of positive film, it will be understood that the same is equally adaptable to other types of printers as well, as for iustance those wherein a single negative plate or film is to be printed on a single sensitized positive. Also many changes may be made in details of construction and method of operation without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. l do not limit myself therefore to the exact structure herein shown and described other than by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A photographic printer comprising a printing light and exposure opening, a nonactinic transparency normally covering said opening, slidablc means for moving a negative strip and a positive strip to position over said opening, and means on said moving means for uncovering said opening to admit said printing light therethrough.

2. A photographic printer comprising an exposure opening in one Wall thereof' and a printing light, a non-actinic transparent shutter pivoted to said walland normally covering said opening, a' pivoted lever having one end engaging said shutter, and a plunger engaging the opposite end of said lever for rocking the same on its, pivot whereby to move sai shutter away from said opening and admit said printing light therethrough.

' 3. A photographic printer comprising a printing light of constant intensity, and an exposure opening, means for reflecting 'the rays from said light through said opening, and.means on said reflecting means' forvvarying the intensity of said reflected rays.

y 4. A photographic printer comprising, a printing light of constant intensity and an exposure opening, a reflector for catching and directing the rays' from said light through said opening, and means for changingthe character of said reflector for varying the intensity of said reflected rays.

5. A photographic printer comprising a printing light of constant intensity and an l GJEA photographic printer comprising a cordance with the characteristics of said printing light of constant intensity and an exnegative by varying the character of the reposure opening, a movable reflector having a fleeting surface for' said rays.

plurality of-reflecting surfaces of ,different reflecting characteristics, and means for moving said reflector for placing any one of said surfaces in position to catch and direct the rays from saidlight to said exposure opening.

7. A photographicprinter comprising a printing light of constant intensity and an exposure opening, a movable reflector having a plurality of reflecting surfaces of different reflecting characteristics, and means for moving said reflector for placing any one of said surfaces in position to catch and direct the rays from said light to said exposure opening, and means on said reflector for indicating the character of the surface in such position.

8. A photographic printer comprising a printing light of constant intensity and an exposure o ening, a rotatable member having a plura ity of reflecting surfaces of different reflecting characteristics, and means for rotating said member for placing any one of said surfaces in position to catch and direct the rays from said light to said exposure opening.

9. A photographic printer comprising a printing light of constant intensity andan exposure opening, a rotatable member having a plurality of reflecting surfaces of different reflecting characteristics, and means for rotating said member for placing any one of said surfaces in position to catch and direct the rays from said light to said exposure opening, said member comprising a disk the edge of which extends through said printer for ready manipulation.

10. A photographic printencomprising a printing light of constant intensity and an exposure opening, a rotatable member having a plurality of reflecting su'ifaces of different reflecting characteristics; and means for rotating said member for placing any one of said surfaces in position to catchand direct the rays from said light to said exposure opening.J said member comprising a disk the edge of which extends through said printer for ready manipulation, and indi-` cating means on said edge for indicating the particular surface in reflecting position. i

l1. The method of photographic printing comprising the steps of passing the reflected rays of a printing light through a negative to a positive and controlling the intensity of said reflected rays in accordance with the characteristics' of said negative by varying the character of the reflecting surface for said rays.

12. The method of photographic printing comprising the steps of passing the reflected rays of a printing light of constant intensity through a negative to a positive and controlling the intensity of said reflected rays in ac- JOI-IN J. RISDON. 

